The Week in Wingnuts: More Guns, Fewer E-Cigarettes, and the Return of the Obama “Birthers”

05.05.13 8:45 AM ET

New Hampshire: A posse you can trust

It seems Stella Tremblay, a Republican state representative from New Hampshire, is determined to get to what she thinks is the bottom of the Boston bombings. Earlier this week Tremblay went on a Boston radio station and suggested that the man whose legs were pictured blown off in the bombing was faking it, and said she wanted a full investigation into the attack. Not from the FBI, but from somebody “unbiased.” Her suggestion? Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a steadfast believer that President Obama’s birth certificate is a fake and who’s been accused of fabricating evidence to support his birther beliefs.

South Carolina: More guns, please

South Carolina lawmakers have been among the most vocal opponents to the pro-gun control push following the tragedy at Newtown, Connecticut. Already this year state politicians have introduced bills that would allow teachers to carry firearms and students to enroll in a high school gun class, but now they’re pushing a new strategy: with representatives this week signing a resolution “inviting and welcoming gun manufacturers into our state.” The resolution, which 55 South Carolina House members signed, discusses possible incentives for gun and ammo manufacturers looking to open and expand in the state, citing, among other things, a political climate that is more “hospitable” that other states’ less “accommodating” stances.

California: Love-hate relationship

Los Angeles Democratic mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel has spent the weeks following the city’s March primary courting former mayoral candidate Republican Kevin James for his endorsement. But after James threw his weight behind her runoff opponent, Eric Garcetti, her campaign began distributing mailers denouncing the news. “Say no to Eric Garcetti!” it reads. “He sold us out to win Republican votes.” But James wasn’t having any of it, and responded by making public text messages from Gruel from the period following his primary loss. “How is your day looking? I am ready, willing and able!” read one of the texts in which Greuel discusses a meeting with James. “U are beloved—I hear it a lot!” read another.

California: E-cigarettes kill

Cigarette smokers have been hit with all kinds of legislation in recent years, and the California state Senate this week shows no sign of letting up. On Tuesday the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee moved SB 648, which would ban e-cigarettes in the same places as regular cigarettes, to the floor for a vote, where it is expected to pass. Despite the FDA never having studied the health effects of e-cigarettes, which transfer limited quantities of nicotine in a vaporized form, and oppositions from users who say it has helped them kick the habit, lawmakers have stood by the proposal.